So we all rip apart the Lucic contract. Why does Okposo not get the same treatment?

[bobholly39]

I still can't fathom how bad Lucic has been tbh

I'm a Habs fan and have always hated him but he seemed to have such a high compete level. I can't fathom he'd let himself slide to becoming such a laughing stock. I really, really expected him to rebound some last year simply out of pride and out of a desire to prove people wrong (fyi - I expect PK Subban in in NJ to have a fantastic season for that same reason).

I guess that physically when you just can't hack it anymore - there's no real way around that.

 

[Pizza!Pizza!]

Kyle Okposo Stats and News
Milan Lucic Stats and News


Identical contracts
Same age
Production not far off

Lucic - NMC
Okposo - M-NTC (15 team no trade list)

Simple math shows us that Okposo was 45% more productive than Lucic last season alone. Plus he's a decent human being.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Simple math shows us that Okposo was 45% more productive than Lucic last season alone. Plus he's a decent human being.

Implying Lucic is a bad human?

 

[Voight]

There's a reason why the Kings werent willing to match or surpass his offer from Edmonton. They knew that while he was still productive, he was bound to struggle and break down within a couple years.

As for the OP, Lucic has a NMC which means he literally can't be moved anywhere he doesn't want to go. At least for Okposo theres 16 other teams they can trade him to without consent.

 

[Voight]

Lucic has a congenital disease that affects his back called Scheuermann's disease. It is believed that this is the major reason for his drop in performance since the 2016 season.

I'm not saying that excuses the poor contracts but it is a little unfair to give one guy a pass because of injuries and health issues without at least mentioning that about Lucic.

If this is true I am shocked the Oilers haven't found a way to stash him on LTIR. Maybe they should have hired ole Dean Lombardi to help them circumvent the cap.

Ironically, the only more untradeable contract in the salary cap era was traded (Clarkson).

That was a special circumstance.

CBJ didn't take out an insurance policy on Hortons contract so when he got hit with a debilitating/career ending injury, they had to pay him out of pocket to sit at home. So their theory was, even tho Clarkson sucks it would cost them the same amount of money for him to play as it would for them to have Horton sit at home. The Leafs, as a financial juggernaut had no problems paying him millions to do nothing.

At least thats how I remember it.

 

[MessierII]

There's a reason why the Kings werent willing to match or surpass his offer from Edmonton. They knew that while he was still productive, he was bound to struggle and break down within a couple years.

As for the OP, Lucic has a NMC which means he literally can't be moved anywhere he doesn't want to go. At least for Okposo theres 16 other teams they can trade him to without consent.

The kings physically didn’t have the cap space to pay him. They actually offered him the 8th year.

 

[Coffey]

Implying Lucic is a bad human?

He's probably mad because of this

 

[DickSmehlik]

He might not be as good as he once was, but I suspect Kyle can bounce back and put up 45 points, which he did for the 2 seasons prior to last season.

And for that reason, Okposo >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Lucic.

 

[780il]

One guy plays for the Oilers... The other doesn't...

Nuff said

Not anymore HAHAHAHAHA LETS GOOOOOO

 

[MessierII]

Only 5.25 mil for Lucic now.

 

[Hatrix]

Only 5.25 mil for Lucic now.

Won't be long before the contract isn't considered terrible here for the sole reason that Lucic is no longer an Oiler which apparently magnifies everything bad by at least 10x.

 

[MS]

There was a tremendous amount of Schadenfreude in watching possibly the least likeable person in the NHL fail with the most comically inept organization so his situation got more notoriety than a nice guy struggling like Okposo. Also the goalless streak became a thing like with Scott Gomez a few years ago.

Lucic has possibly become one of the more underrated players in the league. He’s still a decent bottom-6 grinder who brings a lot of physicality and isn’t much different at all as a player from guys like Maroon and Backes. I suspect we’ll see a Dan Girardi situation where he goes from Worst Player Ever to ‘oh, he’s actually not that bad’ when cast with vastly reduced expectations in a depth role with a good team.

 

[Sojourn]

Won't be long before the contract isn't considered terrible here for the sole reason that Lucic is no longer an Oiler which apparently magnifies everything bad by at least 10x.

He had 20 points last season.

If his contract suddenly stops being terrible, it isn’t going to be because of a change in location. It’s going to be because he actually puts up numbers and plays a quality of hockey that justifies the salary.

Even with some of it retained, that contract is ugly.

Sure, a change could do him good, and that’s valid. But, again, it will be because he plays better. You can’t justify his contract, even with retention, when you look at his on-ice play last season. Simply moving from one team to another doesn’t change that.

 

[McDNicks17]

Lucic has a congenital disease that affects his back called Scheuermann's disease. It is believed that this is the major reason for his drop in performance since the 2016 season.

I'm not saying that excuses the poor contracts but it is a little unfair to give one guy a pass because of injuries and health issues without at least mentioning that about Lucic.

Scheuermann's is a developmental disorder.

It doesn't affect him at all anymore.

 

[Kamiccolo]

IMO the difference between the two was at the time, Oilers fans were parading around "It was actually Hall for Larsson + Lucic" and were hyping him up a ton. Even after his first year, they still defended him. I think this is different from most other bad deals in that it was more visible and a trending narrative on here.

 

[Satire]

Scheuermann's is a developmental disorder.

It doesn't affect him at all anymore.

This is objectively false information. Just because the spine stops growing doesn't mean everything is suddenly fine. The damage (may be little or a lot) is still there unless it was 100% corrected during the growth period which is not a gimme. Also, there are natural age related changes that occur in our bodies that can make this condition worsen immensely. Particularly osteo-arthritis and inflammation which are fairly common in athletes to begin with due to repetitive stress movements. This is the same reason why one of the first line treatments for symptom control in individuals with Scheuermann's disease is anti-inflammatories for pain relief.

It is a developmental disorder that impacts the curvature of the spine. There is an entire branch of Kyphosis dedicated to this. It can also rarely develop into scoliosis. We can't really know that it doesnt effect him anymore - it depends on the degree of kyphosis caused as well as the effectiveness of treatment during his younger years. It's not a one size fits all prognosis and often the impact of it is a life long issue that worsens with age and age-related changes that people just learn to live with.

You can literally see the impacts of it in his posture and the way his body moves. It's why he looks like he has a bit if a hunch (or like a coke machine on skates). I suspect he probably does deal with it to some degree even still. Obviously there is just as much speculation in this paragraph here as saying he's absolutely fine.

 

[McDNicks17]

This is objectively false information. Just because the spine stops growing doesn't mean everything is suddenly fine. The damage (may be little or a lot) is still there unless it was 100% corrected during the growth period which is not a gimme. Also, there are natural age related changes that occur in our bodies that can make this condition worsen immensely. Particularly osteo-arthritis and inflammation which are fairly common in athletes to begin with due to repetitive stress movements. This is the same reason why one of the first line treatments for symptom control in individuals with Scheuermann's disease is anti-inflammatories for pain relief.

It is a developmental disorder that impacts the curvature of the spine. There is an entire branch of Kyphosis dedicated to this. It can also rarely develop into scoliosis. We can't really know that it doesnt effect him anymore - it depends on the degree of kyphosis caused as well as the effectiveness of treatment during his younger years. It's not a one size fits all prognosis and often the impact of it is a life long issue that worsens with age and age-related changes that people just learn to live with.

You can literally see the impacts of it in his posture and the way his body moves. It's why he looks like he has a bit if a hunch (or like a coke machine on skates). I suspect he probably does deal with it to some degree even still. Obviously there is just as much speculation in this paragraph here as saying he's absolutely fine.

Lucic said in an interview it doesn't affect him anymore and he also hasn't mentioned health issues as a reason for his recent struggles.

He said it's all mental which makes sense since the drop-off basically happened over night and not gradually over time.

 

[Hatrix]

He had 20 points last season.

If his contract suddenly stops being terrible, it isn’t going to be because of a change in location. It’s going to be because he actually puts up numbers and plays a quality of hockey that justifies the salary.

Even with some of it retained, that contract is ugly.

Sure, a change could do him good, and that’s valid. But, again, it will be because he plays better. You can’t justify his contract, even with retention, when you look at his on-ice play last season. Simply moving from one team to another doesn’t change that.

Your missing the point. A large portion of the HF narrative is that if it happened in Edmonton it's automatically the worst thing imaginable.

 

[OilWagon]

Forget Okposo, how about Ladd and Backes. Truly an awful summer for UFA signings.

 

[Jabs102501]

Okposo is a Harry Potter fan

 

[Grimm]

Okposo almost died and has had MULTIPLE injuries and concussions. His contract was bad but his career has been derailed in other ways. Lucic is just a face palm.

 

[Porkleaker]

Lucic doesn't even belong in the NHL, yet alone bottom 6. He's more of a hindrance than an asset, feel sorry for the Flames fans lol they're going to be doing a lot of screaming at their tv's soon.

 

[Man of Principles]

I really don't think that's the main reason. It's Lucic. He was an effective dirty goon for years, made himself hated around the league, and so people loving seeing his demise. It might get magnified a bit because it's the Oilers, but I think the main reason is it's Lucic. Put Okposo or Eriksson in his place and I just don't think there'd be the same degree of mockery. It's just a lot easier to sympathize with Okposo, a guy who had a near death experience, than it is to sympathize with Lucic, who was a dirty and dangerous player.



Eh, I feel like most of us hate the contract but don't hate the guy or player. He's an alright bottom line guy now, but that contract is awful. Lucic seems even less effective and much more hatable, thus the often different reactions. I'd take Okposo for 1.5 mil or something. Not sure I'd take Lucic at any price.

Don't get me wrong, I am fairly humane in my nature, and it's terrible what happened to him and how it transpired. But I also acknowledge that a lot of people drop Sobotka's name instead when speaking of buyouts. Sobotka at 3.5 and doing absolutely nothing is better for the cap than Okposo at that high figure. I respect the guy but I'd cut bait if possible.